


Memory Aids

by Rubynye



Category: Star Trek (2009)
Genre: Backstory, Dubious Consent, F/F, F/M, Prostitution, Slavery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-14
Updated: 2010-08-14
Packaged: 2017-10-11 02:26:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/107349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rubynye/pseuds/Rubynye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gaila's friend teaches her a trick for remembering clients' names.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Memory Aids

**Author's Note:**

> With thanks to IGrockSpock: written for the [Texts From Last Night Gailaficathon](http://igrockspock.livejournal.com/112569.html).

The third beating, though not the worst, that Gaila got at the entertainment center was when she called a client the wrong name. 'Thelekarsh' sounded a bit like _telekish_, as in the fruit, and it was such a busy night she ached all over from sheer weariness; when she called him 'Sir Telekish' afterwards he even puffed out his cheeks so his face went oval like a berry, and Gaila pictured his antenna as a stem and helplessly giggled.

He didn't think it was funny. He hit her cheek so hard she fell back on the bed, shouted, "Stupid _whore!_," hit her several more times on her arms and shoulders as she hid her face from further damage, and stomped out.

Gaila started crying, and hadn't yet managed to stop when Overseer Minnho ran in shouting, "The client wouldn't pay! You displeased him!"

"I just --" Gaila said as she looked up, and immediately switched to, "please no," because Minnho held a broad-bladed whip, the kind that didn't cut the skin, which just meant she could be beaten longer before she'd be too damaged to be presentable.

When Minnho raised the whip Gaila ducked her head under her arms again, and let herself cry as Minnho walloped her shoulders and back until they glowed with pain. Afterwards Minnho ordered Gaila to sleep without supper and to wash up and paint herself again, shouting at her not to smudge the makeup as she shivered and sniffled; instead of letting her back out onto the floor, the Front Office sent her a client who liked bruises, which went about as painfully as such clients usually do.

It was not a good night. At least that was the last client, and afterwards Gaila staggered into the sonic shower and dragged herself to the sleeping room while the others were at supper, slumped into one of the specially warm soft spots usually reserved for someone new or hurt, and cried a little more until she fell asleep.

"Hsst, Gaila," Anishe whispered in her ear what felt like the next moment, but had to be hours later, judging by all the sleeping breathing around them. "Why didn't you come eat?" She pushed her hand under Gaila's, pressing something round and squashable into Gaila's palm. "Where were you?"

"On punishment," Gaila answered, trying not to wince as Anishe pressed against her bruised back while climbing over her. She felt Anishe smell her pain and push off of her, and tried her best to answer Anishe's warmth with happiness at how much better she felt already because of her. Anishe pushed Gaila's hand up towards her mouth, and she discovered the thing was a sweetbean bun; it lasted only two bites, but they were two more than she'd had before and rich in energy besides.

So she licked the crumbs off her mouth and kissed Anishe for gratitude before telling about her bad evening. "This is why I don't use their names," Anishe murmured, stroking Gaila's shoulders and radiating a warm relaxing scent.

Eventually, when Gaila was halfway to sleep despite her aching back, Anishe said, "My sister liked to use names in her presentation, though," and surprise pushed open Gaila's eyes, though the lights were completely down, nothing to be seen. "She told me her trick for remembering."

"Anishe," Gaila whispered, because Anizat had died when Sinadh had that Vulcan crazy time, and all Anishe had left of her were memories.

"Listen." Anishe really intended to tell her, fingers tightening on her arm. Gaila held her breath to hear better, and Anishe continued, "Think of what they smell like, not their sex or species or when they last didn't bathe," and Gaila muffled her laugh against the cushion, held the next breath and kept listening, "but something they smell like that begins with the same sound as their name. Like -- Telthi smells like _terksa-_ flowers, did you notice?"

"You're right!" Andorians often did, Gaila had noticed, but then they often had names starting with _te_ and _ti_ syllables too. "Oh, Anishe, I'm grateful!"

"Shh, shh, you'll wake everyone up." But Anishe was smiling, Gaila could hear it in her voice, and she smiled in return.

The trick worked. The next night, after Anishe and Telthi had painted Gaila's back and cheek a smooth green that hid the brown and purple bruises, Gaila's first client not only smelled something like a roasted _kazi_ nut but had grey-brown skin with raised rough patches down his back and limbs that were rather reminiscent of their shells. "Kaemmas," she murmured to him as he fucked her, "Kaemmas, Kaemmas," and he whimpered and kissed her all over her face, every press on her sore cheek full of pain and success.

Kaemmas kissed her afterwards, too, smiling with real pleasure, and folded her fingers around a tip. She looked at the credit tab after he left, though she knew she should be freshening up before she went back out on the floor, and thought for a minute. She could buy sweets and _kazi_ nuts to share with Anishe as she whispered to her that the trick worked. She could tuck it into the fingerprint-locked hand-safe in her small chest of belongings.

Or maybe, Gaila considered, she would buy a text for her padd, perhaps on math or engineering, and see if she could make this association trick work for remembering things without scents, too.


End file.
